Men have been harnessing the wind for thousands of years. Sails on boats are a form of wind power. Windmills date back to the BC's. In the early part of this century, on to today, the windmill
is a normal sight at many farms. It is usually used to pump water to the surface for livestock.
In South Texas we are being introduced to a newer form of wind-gathering energy. It is called the Wind Farm. Wind Farms are nothing new. Europe has had them for many years. West Texas brought in Wind Farms a number of years ago. The ones being built in South Texas are up close and personal. They are forever changing the appearance of our flat landscape. They are being mingled into the blackland around Taft with cotton, grain, and corn.
A new Wind Farm is being built as I write. It is within a mile of the city of Taft. Yesterday I saw a load holding the parts for a single turbine. They are huge! A man standing next to one blade was dwarfed by that structure. Giant cranes that could be used to build a ten-story building are in place to hoist this thing into space. They are expensive. They are also good, easy money for the landowner who receives them.
We cannot help but wonder how they will do when the inevitable hurricane, long overdue, comes ripping through this part of Texas. Will the sky be suddenly filled with giant windmills churning about like seagulls? The experts say, "no way". They also said that of the off-shore drilling rigs chances of a major leak.
Wind and winds are mentioned often in the Bible. Jesus had command over the wind. When He said, "be still", it obeyed immediately. On the day of Pentecost "a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house" (Acts 2:2). The Psalmist says of it all. "He stirs up his breezes and the waters flow." (Psa. 147:18).
The energy has always been there. We have simply been slow in harnessing it. The same is often true for believers. Power for service is as close as the breeze cooling our faces. We must harness it. however, if it is to produce power.
